A Rewarding Career in Sustainability: Meet Jake
Jake Stocker was recently named SunCommon’s Vice President of Operations. It is the next step in his career progression in the solar industry and in a life centered around sustainability. We sat down with Jake to hear more about his path to now and what keeps him excited about working in solar.
Jake has been a solar pro since 2012, when he started out as an installer for a small solar company in Western Massachusetts. Prior to that Jake had been working in agriculture, including operating his own small farm. The leap to a job in solar gave him a bit more financial stability than he found in farming. And it was the beginning of an exciting career!
Starting as an installer and working his way up to being a system designer before taking on more broad operational roles has been formative in how he approaches his work today. Those roles have helped him to understand more fully the implications of his decisions, and it also helps him to stay grounded in an understanding of our employees’ experiences.
Jake was also excited to talk about how rewarding it has been to be able to diversify the products we offer to our customers, especially when it comes to batteries. It takes a lot of work to vet a new product, ensure it works well with the other components of a system, and prepare to install and support it. SunCommon has been able to roll out two new battery options plus the SPAN panel (a smart-home version of an electrical panel) this year!
Another aspect of the business that Jake is passionate about is caring for our team. He is especially proud of working with leadership, including human resources, to ensure that SunCommon maintains a best-in-class benefits package for employees despite rising insurance costs and industry changes. Jake understands that the key to having so many long-term employees is making sure that they know they are valued and appreciated for their contributions!
As SunCommon heads into 2026 and more changes in the solar industry, we’re lucky to have someone as experienced and down to earth as Jake handling our operations. We appreciate his steady hands at the helm!